The new cultivar is the result of chance discovery in a commercial nursery in Waikato, New Zealand. The inventor, Peter Fraser, discovered the new variety as a single branch, naturally occurring mutation growing in a planting of the parent variety Coprosma repens ‘Evening Glow’, unpatented. The discovery was made in the April of 2009. First propagation was performed by vegetative cuttings during the Summer of 2009 in Waikato, New Zealand. Multiple additional generations have been propagated. This subsequent propagation has shown the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.
The inventor has filed for Plant Breeder's Rights in Australia, with a grant date of Sep. 12, 2012, application number 2012/173. Additionally, the inventor has filed for Plant Breeder's Rights in New Zealand, receiving grant number 30979 Apr. 29, 2014. The inventor filed these applications before any sales of ‘Ignite’ began. First sale of ‘Ignite’ occurred within one year of the filing of this US application.